Soulmates
by jokergirl2001
Summary: A love spell can be broken by one's soulmate, Lucy didn't believe that the salmon haired boy could be the one, but he just made her fall harder along the way. NaLu
1. Chapter 1

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about any magic stores, I'm sorry dear" an old lady said giving the blond woman in front of her an apologetic look

The blond teenager merely smiled politely, "Thank you anyways" she thanked waving slightly as the old lady walked away

Once the kind old lady was out of sight her shoulders slumped in disappointment, "Another miss..." she mumbled noting that the old lady was the tenth person she asked

Should she give up?

 _'No, I've come this far...I can't give up without even seeing if they had a key or not'_ she thought to herself as a new surge of determination overcame her

She gave a proud glance to the keys attached to her belt, three gold keys and three silver keys.

She was sure it had to count as an accomplishment amongst other Celestial Spirit Mage, but then again there weren't many mages who had the same magic as her.

Two of her gold keys, the Water Bearer and the Giant Crab, were gifts of her late mother

Her other gold gate key, the Golden Bull, she had bought off of a passing merchant who didn't know how valuable the golden gate keys were, the blond considered it her lucky break.

Two of her silver keys, the Southern Cross and the Clock, she had received as gifts from a retired mage. Another lucky break.

Her other silver key, the Lyre, she hadn't really done much to gain. The spirit that belonged to the gate had sought her out, thus a friendship and contract was formed

Basically, the blond had obtained four keys in one year. Pretty impressive if she does say so herself.

 _'Which is exactly why I can't give up on a chance like this!'_ She yelled in her head as she looked around again

Her feet walking forward as she tried to find a Magic Store, completely oblivious to a few giggling girls who speed walked towards the town square

The blond was still thinking about her current main goal which was to become a full-fledged mage by joining a guild.

Her top choice would be Fairy Tail, but she was scared, would they accept her? Or would they reject her?

She wasn't sure she could handle her favorite guild not wanting her as a member

 _'Ugh, stop being so negative Lucy! You're a pretty good mage, you're smart AND your sex appeal is to die for!'_

At that thought she paused in front of a store, her eyes roaming on her own reflection and a surge of self confident coursing through her as she smiled in agreement

 _'Yeah, I'm pretty...'_ just like her mother

If it was one thing Lucy was proud of, it would be her features.

Fifty percent because of her vanity and fifty percent because she had her mother's looks. She was proud to look like her mother

It was then that she noticed that the window she stood in front of belonged to the exact same store she had been looking for.

She sheepishly smiled to herself not even fazed at her good fortune, she's always had slightly better luck than most. _Lucky Lucy..._

Her smile dropped a bit, memories of her lonely days in an empty room entering her mind. _'No, don't be negative, you're free now Lucy.. '_

Not dwelling on her thoughts she entered the shop with a wide smile wondering if there were any Gate Keys.

The shop did seem to have a wide choice for different mages, ranging from melee weapons such as Magic Swords to everyday items enhanced with magic such as glasses.

"Good afternoon miss!"

Lucy brought her attention to the clerk, an energetic looking aged old man who had a wide smile

"Hello sir" Lucy politely greeted

"Is there anything specific you're searching for?" the clerk asked

Lucy nodded, "I'm looking for Gate Keys, preferably strong ones"

"Gates, huh? That's something uncommon, I'm afraid I only have one, and if I recall correctly my next shipment contains a few Gate Keys, but that shipment will take some time" the clerk informed

Lucy perked up at the mention that the shop did have a Gate Key, "May I see it?"

The old man nodded with a polite smile as he went into the back to go get the requested item

Lucy waited patiently, her ears listening to the slightly noisy footsteps of the old man

"I'm afraid it isn't a strong one" the old man apologetically informed presenting Lucy with the case

Lucy turned to look at the key, a delighted noise escaping her "White Doggy!" she squealed

"I've been looking for it!" she excitedly said before looking up at the clerk, "How much is it?"

"Twenty thousand jewels" the clerk informed without missing a beat

Lucy blinked, "I wonder how much is it?" she asked tilting her head to the side

"I said twenty thousand jewels" the clerk repeated

Lucy inwardly pouted, she couldn't believe that Nikora was that expensive!

 _'It's time to use my feminine charms'_

Putting on a sly smile she angled herself a bit forward, her left hand grasping her right elbow and in turn letting her left arm pop her breasts up a bit

"I wonder how much it really is, dandy mister" she seductively winked

The old man now had a faint blush "Nineteen thousand jewels"

Lucy pouted in a cute manner, "Eh? I don't have enough jewels..." she sadly said pressing herself slightly against the man

"I'm afraid I can't drop it any lower"

°•°

•°•

Lucy kicked a stray pebble in annoyance, was her looks only worth a thousand jewels?

She was groomed for sixteen years to look her best, to be beautiful, and she was only worth thousand jewels?

She took a glance at a glass window next to her, her eyes once again surveying her own form

 _'Am I really not beautiful enough?'_

Her eyes went to her blond hair

It wasn't anything special compared to Mirajane's exotic white hair or the Mage in Fairy Tail rumored to have scarlet red hair.

Blond wasn't anything special compared to white or scarlet red

'I guess I'm not as pretty as I thought I was...' she gave a sad sigh as she continued walking without any destination, a grey cloud hovering above her

She'd probably be boarding a train and letting the train decide in which town she'd be sight seeing and Gate Key hunting

"A famous Mage-sama is in town!"

Lucy's eyes snapped to a pair of squealing girls

"It's Salamander-sama!"

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows, "Salamander?"

 _'As in the famous Mage who controls fire that can't be bought in stores?'_

 _'That Salamander is in town?'_

Curiosity getting the best of her Lucy started walking in the very same direction that the two girls were heading to

Her inner romantic wondering if the rumored man was good looking or not

She weaved her way through the crowd of squealing girls making sure to avoid getting any stray elbows or such she finally made it to the front

Her eyes landed on Salamander, somehow he wasn't what she was expecting

Blue hair, black eyes and a cocky aura around him. It reminded her of the noble men she would meet back when she lived in the Heartfilia Estate, Lucy has always disliked men with cocky attitudes.

Salamander was no exception, her face scrunched up in distaste as she was about to leave, but then for some reason her heart started beating faster

"Huh?" she questioned in confusion

"Ha, ha, I'm had. I can't walk like this"

Lucy looked at Salamander, his voice sounded like velvet to her which made her more confused

 _'W-wait...'_ whatever her mind was about to warn her was drowned out by her noisy heart

"M-maybe I'm-"

"Igneel!"

Lucy snapped out of her trance as she turned to look at the new arrival, a boy who she assumed to be her age and a blue cat

 _'Pink hair?'_ Lucy's mind couldn't help but wonder as she paid close attention to the scene

"Who are you?" the boy bluntly asked

"Me? You may know me as Salamander"

Lucy's face scrunched up in distaste, the man was arrogant and cocky to a fault. She was sure she could see his ego polluting the air

"Gone already?!"

Lucy snickered in amusement as she cast a curious look to the pink haired boy's back

As if on cue a group of fans began to beat up the poor boy making Lucy frown before the turned to eye Salamander's reaction

"That's enough girls, he didn't really mean it either" Salamander smoothly said

Lucy however couldn't help but see no sincerity in his words, it all seemed fake to her, kinda like when clients with less fortune than her father would try to suck up to her or her father in order to gain some economical advantage of sorts

"You're so kind!" one of the fans squealed

Lucy observed quietly as Salamander started to sign his signature on a paper, her brown eyes landing on the Charm Rings that the man wore

Things fell into place as Lucy realized what had happened, her distaste growing for the man who had to rely on banned Magic Items

But Lucy wondered how she wasn't affected by the Charm Ring anymore

She knew that one would have to be fully aware of it to break the spell, but she was only half aware

 _'The only other way to break the spell is by...'_

"I don't want it"

 _'One's soulmate'_

Lucy blushed slightly at the thought as she looked at the pink haired boy

Could it be?

 _'No way Lucy, you can't just fall in love with someone you don't even know'_

She didn't pay any attention to the scene around her as she stared at the boy curiously, even if she denied him being her true love she wouldn't deny that he had helped her break out of the spell

"What is he?" the boy grumbled

Lucy took a chance and spoke up "Disgusting" she stated as she walked over to the boy and cat

The two looked at her as she smiled at them "Thanks for the help" she thanked making the two even more confused

"Who are you?" the blue cat bluntly asked

Lucy was only mildly surprised, because some of her Spirits were animal hybrids and they could talk perfectly fine

"I'm Lucy, can we talk somewhere else? My treat"

The two's eyes practically lit up

°•°

•°•

Lucy didn't know if she should feel amazed or disgusted as the cat and boy duo scarved down food after food like hungry savages

But she supposed it only confirmed her theory that the pink haired boy wasn't her soulmate, after all she'd never like someone so unmannered, let alone fall for him

"Yhuur a naiz bhurson" the pink haired boy spoke as he ate

Frankly, Lucy didn't understand what he said at all

"Yhup, yhup" though the cat seemed to be agreeing

"So, what's your names?" Lucy curiously asked as she avoided a stray bone

"I'm Happy, and this is Natsu!" the cat introduced before he continued eating

"Happy and Natsu, huh?" Lucy repeated with a small smile "Anyways thanks again for helping me"

The two casted a curious look at her, but she didn't really want to explain and lose the small respect they may or may not have for her by admitting that she fell for a spell

"Why are you two in this town anyways?" Lucy curiously asked

"We're looking for someone" Natsu answered

Lucy noted that it must be someone important seeing as Natsu stopped eating just to answer that question

"Aye, we're looking for Igneel" Happy agreed

"I heard that Salamander was coming to town, so we came, but it was the wrong person" Natsu explained

"The Salamander didn't look like a Salamander" Happy said

"And I totally believed it was Igneel!" Natsu whined

"How could a human look like a salamander?" Lucy decided to ask

Natsu looked at her as if remembering she was there

"Hrmm? Igneel isn't a human. He's a real dragon"

.

.

.

.

"Eh?!" Lucy couldn't help but yell in surprise before her logical side kicked in "There is no such way a dragon could be in town!"

Realization dawned Happy and Natsu

"You just realized that?!" Lucy asked in disbelief

"Aye..." they both sheepishly admitted

Lucy simply shook her head at them, another reason why Natsu couldn't be boyfriend material was added to her mental list, 'He's too dense'

"And why are you in town Lushy?" Happy asked

Lucy blinked

"Oh? Me? I'm kind of a travelling Mage, but I'd like to join a certain Guild one day. But I'm scared, I mean what if they reject me?" she softly asked letting her insecurity show before she shook her head

"Sorry for shoving my problems onto you" she quickly apologized

"Aye, no problem. But you should try to join that guild Lushy" Happy said

Lucy gave the cat a slight smile "Maybe"

"Which Guild do you want to join?" Natsu asked, a serious look on his features

"Fairy Tail, it's the best" Lucy didn't even notice the fond smile she had nor did she notice the glance Natsu and Happy shared

"I wanted to join for years now, ever since that day..." she trailed off

"That day?" both Natsu and Happy leaned in curiously

"A Fairy Tail Mage saved my life when I was little" Lucy easily said without revealing too much "She inspired my desire to join Fairy Tail"

"What did she look like?" Happy and Natsu asked

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed, "I can't remember, it's kinda hazy but she was wearing bunny ears..."

"Bunny ears? Doesn't ring a bell" Natsu said

Lucy merely smiled at the two, "Anyways, I have to go now, but you two can stay and take your time with the food" she placed the thousand jewel she managed to save on the table

She was almost at the door when she heard the two yell

"Thank you for the meal!"

"Thank you!"

She felt herself blushing out of embarrassment as she glanced back to see the two on their knees thanking her

"I-it's okay! Really, just consider it us being even now" Lucy assured

"I don't feel like I've helped you at all" Natsu informed

"Aye...I don't feel right" Happy agreed

"Oh, yeah!" suddenly Natsu was handing her the Salamander's signature "I'll give you this"

"T-thanks I guess?" Lucy mumbled taking the darn thing, she contemplated throwing it away or burning it

"Bye Happy, Natsu" she mumbled waving slightly at the two

"And Luce?"

Lucy glanced back to see the wide smile of Natsu "Fairy Tail won't reject you"

His smile was so contagious that Lucy couldn't help but smile too "You think so?"

"Aye" Natsu nodded

And with that Lucy left, her feet taking her to no particular destination

It was as she was walking that she finally realized something

 _'His hair is salmon, not pink...'_

.o0o.o0o.

 _ **Chapter End**_

.o0o.o0o.

 _ **A/N : Yes, another story I shouldn't be writing while my other stories are still ongoing. But I couldn't help it. No offense to major Fairy Tail fans but (spoilers) the recent Fairy Tail chapters have been letting me down. Especially all the hate comments Lucy's getting. I mean, why? Why do people hate on Lucy? She's the most relateable and realistic character in the series. It's like hating on yourself**_

 _ **Anyways, I wrote this fiction like a year ago, for two purposes :**_

 _ **A. Because I was embarrassed by all the Nalu fictions on this site, seriously, some are good, but the others are just too...OOC for Lucy and Natsu. Most of the time it feels forced, or it always involve something about a dragon mating. So I decided to add romance as a side genre to this story, so it will have romance, but Natsu is a dense and Lucy's in huge denial. So I challenged myself to see if I can make a fiction wherein the NaLu ship feels more natural and doesn't take up 80% of the story's plot.**_

 _ **B. I wanted to do something different with Lucy, her character will be the same, but this Lucy has more drive than the original one, aside from that they're the same. Of course this Lucy will get stronger too, but not overly fast. This is another challenge for myself to see if I could make Lucy realistically stronger without giving her a new magic or make her a dragon slayer. If I play my cards right she may become as strong as Natsu or Erza in the future WITHOUT it seeming to have happened too fast**_

 _ **Oh, and some things you may want to know :**_

 _ **A. Yes, other ships will appear in the story. And don't start bashing if your favorite ship doesn't sail in this story. Guaranteed ship : Gale and Jerza**_

 _ **B. I'll be having Lucy actually use her brilliant mind in this story**_

 _ **C. Natsu will never ever realize that he likes Lucy (if that even happens), so don't be expecting Natsu to purposely make a move or flirt. Maybe at one point he may get jealous, but that's still up to debate**_

 _ **And most importantly : LUCY HATERS SUCK!**_


	2. Take my hand

Natsu rubbed his stomach happily, "Aah! I ate a lot" he happily stated as he walked next to a railing that gave tourists or locals a perfect view of the ocean, Happy was walking on the railing next to him

"Aye" the blue cat agreed taking a look at the ocean view, his keen eyes spotting a ship, "Oh yeah, Salamander said he'd have a party on a ship. I wonder if that's the one"

Natsu immediately groaned and held the railing for support "I feel...sick"

Happy shook his head in amusement at the salmon headed teen, "Don't get motion sickness just by imagining it"

"Look, look!"

Natsu's attention went to a pair of teenage girls standing a little ways away from him and Happy, the two teens were also looking at the ship that Happy had just spotted

"That's the ship, Salamander-sama's ship. Aww, and I wanted to go to the party too" the one with raven hair and onyx eyes pouted confirming Happy's earlier musing

"Salamander?" the other one, a brunette with green eyes, questioned in confusion

"You don't know him? He's that great mage who's currently in town. I hear he's a mage from that famous guild Fairy Tail" the raven head informed

Both Natsu and Happy's eyes widened at the information as the two teenage girls walked away gossiping about another topic

"Fairy Tail..." Natsu echoed as he looked at the ship, his stomach clenched uncomfortably as he felt sick again, "Fairy Tail" he repeated crouching down a bit

"Natsu" Happy muttered as Natsu gave the ship an intense look

"Happy? Natsu?" a familiar voice called earning their attention

There, standing a few feet across from them was the blonde haired teenage girl with brown eyes who had paid for their earlier meal, as opposed to earlier she was wearing a pair of short denim shorts coupled with a simple black shirt with a huge red heart at the front, she wore the same boots she had earlier and her hair was let loose. A brown belt held her shorts along with her whip and keys

"Lushy!" Happy immediately recognized the girl "What are you doing here?" the blue cat curiously asked

The two looked on as Lucy walked over to them while waving in greeting "Like I said, I'm a traveling Mage, so I just go from town to town picking up small jobs, sight-seeing and hunting for some Gate Keys" she answered taking a stop next to Natsu in front of the railing, "And this is one of the best sight-seeing spot in Hargeon according to the locals" she placed her elbows on the railing letting the wind breeze through her hair as she gazed at the ocean

"The stars seem like they're dancing in the sky, and the ocean reflecting them beautifully, Hargeon's buildings complimenting the scene. The locals were right, this is an amazing spot. It's kinda making me feel like I'm on top of the world, you know?" she directed asked looking at Natsu and Happy

Natsu realized after a few seconds that she was actually expecting an answer, and him being him he bluntly said : "You say weird things Luigi, it's just the ocean"

Lucy didn't say anything and turned back to look at the view, but Natsu's keen ears picked up her muttering "...maybe it was one of those girls that were there, it really can't be him..."

Yeah, she really was weird in his opinion

Then he realized something, "Oi, shouldn't you be heading to Fairy Tail now?" he asked

The small easy smile she had immediately disappeared, and her blonde hair obscured the expression she was making

"What's wrong Lushy?" Happy worriedly asked

"...I was wrong about Fairy Tail, it isn't as great as I thought" Lucy quietly muttered

Both Natsu and Happy were surprised at her words, the only thing they could say was a dumbfounded "Huh?"

"Remember Salamander? He's from Fairy Tail. He uses Charm Rings to trick teenage girls into falling in love with him, I wondered, how can he be a part of such a fun guild like Fairy Tail? But if he's like that, then Fairy Tail is probably filled with people like him"

Natsu could smell the salty tears well up in the blonde's eyes as she choked on the sob she was holding back, "A-abusing magic and cheating people...Mages like that are the worse..." tears streamed down her face

"Lushy..."

Natsu thought back to earlier, the image of Lucy's wide smile playing in his mind _"Fairy Tail, it's the best"_ that image got replaced with Lucy's current condition, sobbing and shivering with a heartbroken voice

It reminded him of back then, the feeling he had when he would search for Igneel for days without even catching a scent of him

Slowly he took off his white scarf and wrapped it around Lucy's neck, he ignored how she paused and gave him a confused look as he patted his head, just like Gramps did when he would cry, "Wait here Luce"

"N-Natsu?"

Ignoring her questioned Natsu glanced at Happy who seemed to read his thoughts, "Happy"

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed jumping onto his shoulders, the blue cat immediately used his magic making a pair of white wings appear on his back, "Off we go!"

"W-what's going on?"

Happy and Natsu glanced at a confused Lucy, "Oh, we're just going to teach that impostor a lesson" Natsu casually said as Happy took off

Natsu inhaled the fresh air as Happy glided through the air, "You're going faster than usual Happy" he noted

"Aye, I'm mad"

"Really? That's a first"

"Lushy was so kind, but Salamander made her cry and think that Fairy Tail's evil. He's ruining our guild's reputation, so I'm mad"

"Yeah, I'm pissed too"

°•°

•°•

Lucy brushed her hand against the scarf Natsu had wrapped around her, _'Jeez, what was wrong with them?'_ she wondered as her eyes barely made out their figures heading towards the ship

 _"Oh, we're just going to teach that impostor a lesson"_

"Impostor...?" Lucy mumbled

 _'What did he mean by that?'_

 _'It was like he was implying that Salamander isn't from Fairy Tail, but how would he know that? Unless...he's from Fairy Tail...'_ Lucy's eyes widened in realization

"Miss, it's dangerous to be out alone at night"

Lucy jumped in surprise turning around to see a young man wearing the military uniform, she quickly glanced back to where the ship was, she didn't know if Natsu and Happy were strong enough to 'teach the impostor' a lesson as they had said, what if they get beaten up?

"Sir, it's an emergency!" she exclaimed running up to the young man

"What's wrong?" the young man, he had black hair and purple eyes, asked in concern

"There's a Mage using banned Magic and impersonating as a member from an official guild" Lucy tried to say as calm as she could, she'd say she did a good job at that

"That's two very punishable crimes, what does this Mage look like and where is he?" the young man asked seriously

Lucy told him every detail she could remember about the Salamander, from the color of his eyes to the dark tattoo on the right side of his forehead, being an avid reader and aspiring author really pays off when it comes to remembering details

The young man's eyes widened, "Bora of Prominence, a former member of the Titan Nose Guild. He committed several thefts using magic and got vanished, no one's heard about him until now"

"Oh no, this is bad..." Lucy muttered

"Where did you say he is?" the man asked

Lucy pointed at the ship

"I see, thank you miss, make sure to head home safe and don't worry I'll-"

"I'm coming with you" Lucy firmly said thinking back to Natsu and Happy

 _'I have to give Natsu his scarf back anyways, besides, I'm mad at Bora for almost making me hate Fairy Tail'_

°•°

•°•

Natsu let out a pain noise as he felt another kick to his stomach

The salmon haired groaned as he felt another wave of nausea come over him, "O-oi...l-lemme of this ship!" he yelled to the fake Salamander

"No way, you know too much" Bora smirked as he grabbed a fistful of Natsu's hair and slammed his head onto the floor, "You're a bad boy. If you had just went about with your own business, this wouldn't be happening, but oh well, welcome to our slave ship!"

"B-bastard..." Natsu coughed

Bora tightened his hold on the boy, "Care to repeat that?"

"S-stop it!"

Bora's attention turned towards the corner of the room where a shaking Happy glared at him, "Stop? Okay, but you'll have to replace him as a dummy then" he sadistically said walking over to the blue cat

But before he could reach a huge crash made him tense before a blonde teenage girl came busting in through the roof, landing in front of the blue cat with a loud thud, not even a second later a man with black hair and purple eyes followed suit, however he landed more gracefully than her

"Lushy!" a crying Happy happily yelled

Lucy smirked, "It's time for us to save the day" she stated preparing her whip

°•°

•°•

"Or maybe not?" Lucy sheepishly said as she was tied up with Natsu, the military officer and Happy

"You suck Lushy, I can't believe I actually thought you were cool for a second" Happy sighed in disappointment

Lucy blushed out of embarrassment, "S-shut up, you two are the same" she shot back

"If Natsu was on land he'd easily beat these guys..." Happy muttered

"Really?" Lucy thoughtfully said

"Aye..." Happy nodded

 _'We're on the ship heading to who knows where now. We have a military officer who uses more of a support type magic, a talking cat who can fly, a salmon haired boy who I don't even know what he can do, and me a Celestial Spirit Mage...wait, that's it!'_

"Happy, can you move?" Lucy questioned

Happy wiggled around the ropes a bit before fully freeing himself, "Aye!"

 _'Why didn't he do that earlier?'_ Lucy wondered

"Okay, untie me and I'll get us on land" Lucy ordered

"How?" the military officer questioned as Happy began untying Lucy

"I'm a Mage too, you know? More specifically a Celestial Spirit Mage. I just need Happy to get me into the water so I can summon my strongest Spirit, Aquarius" Lucy shortly explained

"Isn't that a Zodiac key?" the military officer asked in surprise

"Yes" Lucy answered

"Done!" Happy exclaimed

The military officer could only watch on as the blue cat flew away with the blonde hoping that her plan works

"I f-feel..."

"No, control yourself-why me?" he questioned as the teenage boy with motion sickness began barfing

°•°

•°•

"Gate of the Water Bearer, I summon thee! Aquarius!" Lucy called out

A flash of white obscured her and Happy's eyesight before it faded to reveal Aquarius, a royal blue mermaid carrying an urn from which streaming water seemed to pour out

"Whoah!" Happy's eyes widened, "Maybe you really are cool!"

Aquarius immediately scowled turning to face Lucy "Tch, what do..." her sentence trailed off seeing Lucy's slightly puffy eyes, the mermaid would never admit it, but she has a small soft spot for the blonde, so her blood practically boiled at the thought of someone making Lucy cry, "What do you want? And make this quick, I have a date with my boyfriend later" she coolly said pretending not to care

"I need you to send the ship back to the coast"

Aquarius glanced at the ship as she lifted her urn up "Oraah!" she called out summoning a wave to flush the ship back to the coast

"Awesome~!" Happy yelled

"Can you head back to the coast yourself?" Aquarius asked Lucy

Lucy blinked in surprise before directing her gaze to Happy

"I'm out of magic" Happy informed

"I guess I'm swimming..." Lucy muttered

"Tch, no need" Aquarius said making a small gentler wave appear, "It'll take you to the coast" was all she said before vanishing

 _'She was nicer than usual...maybe she's in a good mood?'_

°•°

•°•

"I'm Natsu from Fairy Tail! I've never seen you before!" Natsu declared shoving two people out of his way, he ignored the bruises he had gained from Bora's beatings, the image of everyone from his guild smiling happily flashed in his head as he glared at the man

"I don't care if you're a good person or a bastard, but I can't forgive you for ruining our reputation" he stated as the image of Lucy crying flashed through his head

°•°

•°•

Meanwhile the military officer was thinking that maybe Fairy Tail Mages weren't as bad as he thought as Natsu, the real Salamander, ate the fake Salamander's flame.

 _'Perhaps I was wrong about Fairy Tail...'_ he thought to himself

"You're overdoing it! The port is all messed up!" the blonde, Lucy he recalled, yelled

 _'Or maybe they're worse than I thought...'_

Sighing to himself, because really he shouldn't have expected anything good from such a troublesome guild, he walked over to the still surprised blonde "Reinforcement will arrive soon to take these scum away" he informed her

"That's a relief" the blonde muttered with a small smile

The military officer nodded in agreement, "Yes, thank you for your help today miss"

"Oh no, it was nothing really. I mean Natsu's the one doing all the work" Lucy humbly said

"Nonsense, we of the Military owe you a favor, if you ever need anything just ask for the Captain of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, Lahar."

"I will" Lucy assured

Lahar gave her a small smile, to think that trying to comfort a seemingly sad woman on a lonely night turned into such a series of events, but he supposes it was all in a day's work

 _'But you still haven't really comforted her...'_ his mind informed him

"Lucy-san-"

He was cut off as the girl suddenly disappeared from his view being dragged by her wrists by the Dragon Slayer "Crap! Let's run!" was the last thing he heard _He wasn't going to get in trouble though...'_

He could only blink as the girl suddenly began running along with the boy, a wide smile on her face

He didn't notice the blush creeping up on his face _'Is she from Fairy Tail too?'_ he wondered, _'Maybe Fairy Tail really isn't that bad...'_

°•°

•°•

"Lucy-san-"

Lucy let out a surprised yelled as she felt someone grabbing her wrist and dragging her away

"Crap, let's run!" she heard the familiar voice of Natsu yell

"Eh? Why me?" she yelled looking at Natsu for an answer

He glanced back at her for a moment, "You want to join Fairy Tail, right? Then come with me!"

 _'Join Fairy Tail? I can really join?'_

"Okay!" Lucy gave a wide smile as she herself began running along with Natsu, not caring that he still had her wrist in his hands as the wind blew through her hair and Natsu's scarf

The noise of the military chasing after them merely made Lucy more excited about her future adventures at Fairy Tail

Natsu on the other hand decided that even though Lucy was weird, she would fit in well with Fairy Tail


	3. Warm Feelings

Lucy tightened her grip on her suitcase as she stared at Fairy Tail's building

Her heart was beating faster, whether out of excitement or because she was nervous she didn't know, she had a feeling it was a mix of both

"So? What do you think Lushy?" Happy asked

"It's huge" Lucy said

She resisted the urge to hit herself for saying something so stupid, of course the building was big!

"Aye, welcome to Fairy Tail!" Happy excitedly told her

She nervously gulped as Natsu slammed the huge doors open "We're home!" the dragon slayer loudly yelled

"Home~" Happy chimed in agreement

Lucy could only sweat drop as Natsu picked a fight with someone resulting in almost the whole guild battling it out

But it was kind of an amazing scene, a bit dangerous but very lively compared to her home

She likes it here already, but would they welcome her too? The thought of them rejecting her made her a bit nervous

"Fairy Tail won't reject you" Natsu's assurance eased her thoughts

"Ah!" she yelled avoiding a stray bottle

It seemed like now the whole guild was fighting, she was sure that she caught sight of Loke the top ranked Mage you want as your boyfriend fighting too

She was a bit freaked out to see a naked teenager fighting too

"My, a newcomer?"

Lucy glanced to the side to look at a white haired woman, "Mirajane!" she exclaimed in surprise seeing one of her role models

 _'Kyah~ I just saw Mirajane in the flesh, can this day get any better?!'_

"Wait, shouldn't you be stopping them?" Lucy realized pointing towards the still brawling Mages

"It happens all the time, you don't have to worry about it" Mirajane assured the blonde

"Seriously?" Lucy mumbled, her eyes widened as she saw a bottle flying towards Mirajane

Without really thinking about it she tackled Mirajane out of the way with a quick yell of "Look out!"

She breathed a sigh of relief hearing the bottle crash a few feet away from both her and Mirajane

"Besides isn't it fun this way?" Mirajane asked with a smile

Lucy gave her role model a blank look "You were almost hurt"

"No foul no game, right?" Mirajane smiled

'Even Mirajane-san is eccentric...' Lucy thought

"Excuse me lady?"

Lucy blinked turning to face the naked Mage, she did her best to avoid looking at his private area

"Can I borrow your under-"

"No way!" Lucy yelled cutting him off with a kick

"My, you have quite a kick" Mirajane noted as the Mage flew away and hit a previously grinning Natsu

"Jeez"

Lucy squeaked in surprise as she was lifted up into a princess carry, "Eh?"

"People with no elegance are really troublesome don't you think?" she heard Loke asking

But before she could answer a bottle hit the flirt right at the back of his head

Lucy didn't know whether to be relieved or worried, but she did know that she had to escape the battlegrounds

So she cautiously ran towards a battlezone free table, she had even picked up Happy along the way

"Thank you Lushy" Happy thanked as they hid under the table

"No problem" Lucy mumbled

"Oh, there you are Happy"

"Levy!"

Levy who was also hiding under the table gave Lucy her hand, "You must be new here, I'm Levy"

Lucy blinked, this was the most normal introduction she had gotten in a while. It was kind of funny that something so normal was happening in the middle of a chaos

"I'm Lucy" Lucy smiled shaking hands with Levy, "I hope we get along"

"Me too" Levy nodded before glancing at something behind Lucy, "Oh, master's here"

Curiously Lucy looked behind to see a giant man "He's a giant!" Lucy yelled in surprise

"That's his magic" Levy informed as the master shrunk down into a small old man

"Who are you talking to Levy?" the old man asked

"Lucy, she's new here" Levy said as she and the blonde made their way out of underneath the table

"A newcomer then?" the old man asked looking at Lucy

Lucy shyly nodded, "Yes"

Makarov merely gave her a warm smile "Nice to meet you!"

Lucy wondered if the Fairy Tail Mages all have the habit of surprising her with their warm attitudes as Makarov made his way to the second floor


	4. The name's Lucy!

Natsu grabs his Fire Chicken and shoves it into his mouth hungrily, then he chugs down his Fire Drink.

"So, you were called Salamander in other towns, Natsu? True, your magic would fit that description well." He hears Wakaba say.

"If Natsu is the Salamander," He hears Happy start, "Then I want to be the Catmander!"

And Natsu grins as he shoves a handful of pasta in his mouth and gulps it down.

"Natsu, look!"

Natsu complies to see Luigi showing him her hand that now bore the Fairy Tail mark. "I'm now a Fairy Tail mage!"

"Good for you, Luigi."

"It's Lucy!"

Natsu rubs his ears at the loud screech, "Luigi, Lucy, whatever." He says as he stands up and heads to the request board.

His eyes roam over the entire board, seeing requests varying from simple escort , repairs, capturing bandits, and all the way to hunting.

"Is my daddy back yet?"

At the familiar voice of Romeo, Natsu turns his attention to the boy who stood in front of the Master.

"You're annoying Romeo, if you're the son of a mage, trust your father, be a good boy, and wait for him to come home." Makarov lectures.

"He said he'd come back in three days, but it's been a week since then." Romeo says with tears in his eyes. "It's not that far either! Please look for him! I'm worried about him!"

"No way! Macao can take care of himself, he's a mage of Fairy Tail. Go home and drink your milk or something!"

"Idiot!" And in a very Natsu-like move, Romeo punches Makarov in the face before storming off.

As Natsu watches Romeo's retreating back his mind wanders over to seven years ago, on _that_ day, when Igneel just suddenly disappears. Without second thought he places back the flyer requesting a mage to exterminate thieves back on the request board (a little too harshly), and grabs his stuff.

A job can wait, right now he had to go help out a nakama.

"So we're taking a carriage?" Happy asks.

Natsu grits his teeth, personally he hates any means of transportation, but he needs to get to Macao as soon as he can. "Yeah." He says passing Romeo by. Not without giving the crying boy a pat on the head.

 _'Just wait Romeo, I'll bring back your old man for ya.'_

It isn't long after that he and Happy finds a carriage and someone willing to take them to their destination. Natsu's face pales as he raises his foot to step into the carriage, but he has to do it.

For Romeo. For Macao. For _himself._

"Mind if I tag along?"

The sudden voice makes him stop, he glances at the source of it to see Luigi, Lacy? Lucky? Bah, whatever her name was, standing a little far from him, a determined look on her features.

 _'What's gotten her so hyped up?'_

"Lucy?" Happy asks in confusion poking his head out of the carriage.

Ah, there's her name. _Lucy._

"Do whatever you want." Natsu says finally entering the carriage.

"A thank you would have been nice." He hears her complain before she closes the carriage for him.

Knowing that the ride will be hell for him Natsu decides to lie on the seat. Even then he starts feeling sick as soon as the carriage begins to move.

Natsu expected Lucy to start talking just to fill the silence, but instead Lucy's just looking out the window, an uncharacteristically (at least he assumes) troubled look on her face.

"Why are you here anyway, Lucy?" Happy asks, and Natsu's glad that his partner did, because the silence was starting to get on him.

"Obviously I'm here to help. What? Does it bother you?"

"Aye."

"I wanted to do something to help Fairy Tail!" Lucy exclaims with forced cheerfulness.

Natsu could tell it was forced because of the slight pitch in it, when Lucy was really cheerful back when she showed him her Fairy Tail mark it didn't have that pitch.

"T-that's a lie…." Natsu grumbles.

"Really? Then why are you really here Lucy?" Happy asks looking attentively at Lucy, of course he believes in Natsu's judgment.

Lucy doesn't answer, and for a moment both Natsu and Happy think that she won't. Then they hear Lucy quietly sigh.

"Let's say Natsu and Romeo aren't the only ones with daddy issues…."

And her face was morphed into a heartbroken look, as if she was reliving a memory she didn't really want to remember.

Happy and Natsu both decide not to push it.

"Though, you really aren't good with transportation, are you?" Lucy asks, and it was obvious that she was changing the topic, but it didn't matter. Natsu and Happy could respect that it was something she didn't want to talk about.

Then the carriage stops. Natsu felt like it was a miracle as he quickly sat up, "It stopped!" he exclaims in glee.

"We're there?" Lucy asks.

"Sorry, due to the storm I can't take you up any further than this." The driver apologizes.

"That's alright!" Natsu quickly assures hopping out of the carriage, his energy fully revived.

* * *

Lucy rubs her hands together trying to generate some warmth, it obviously doesn't work considering she's out during a blizzard, but it was worth a try.

"I-it's c-cold…" She stutters hugging herself.

"That's because you're wearing so little." Natsu tells her.

Lucy was sure that if it wasn't for the fact that her face was already flush due to the cold, she would have flushed out of embarrassment. What kind of person tells someone that they wear too little clothes? Another reason why Natsu can't be her soulmate. It seriously had to be one of the other girls there. No doubt about it.

"S-same goes to you!" She shoots back at Natsu as he begins walking.

Lucy really wasn't used to the cold, but the forced her legs to move in order to catch up with Natsu. No way was she going to be a burden when she's the one who wanted to tagalong. Her pride as both a dignified woman and as a Celestial Spirit Mage wouldn't accept that.

But she couldn't help wishing Natsu would offer her his blanket like a real gentleman would do. Then again she's only known Natsu for two days, and she was absolutely sure that Natsu was anything but a gentleman.

 _'Still how is he not affected by the cold?'_ She wonders to herself doing her best to keep up.

She noted that she had to go buy something else as footwear, because as much as she loves her heels, they really were a bother on a job.

And then she grabs Natsu's blanket. "I'm cold." Was the only explanation she offered.

"Bring your own blanket next time." Natsu grumbles.

 _'Will there even be a next time?'_ Lucy wonders to herself, she heard that there were teams in Fairy Tail and sometimes members would work together to complete a job, but she was sure a veteran like Natsu wouldn't want to tagalong with an amateur like her.

And then she shakes the negative thoughts away, because she has to help Natsu save Macao. For that little boy….Romeo, right? He kind of reminded her of her.

Ah, but then again from what she'd heard of Macao he wasn't anywhere near as neglecting or stern as her father. Yet the feeling burned in her, because right now Romeo is waiting for his father to come back, just like she waited for years. But he never did, did he?

 _"Papa, let's—"_

 _"Not now Lucy, I'm busy."_

 _"But papa…"_

 _"Stop being a bother and go to your room!"_

 _"Y-yes papa…I just wanted to hang out…"_

"Macao! Are you here?!" Natsu's voice snaps her out of her flashback.

"Natsu, you idiot, don't be so lo—"

The sound of heavy panting cuts her off as a giant monkey like creature descends down towards them aiming to hit Natsu who rolled back.

But Lucy quickly realizes that it was just a feint, because for some reason the monkey was coming straight towards her.

"A human woman!"

"Ack! Stay back!" Lucy warns throwing the blanket at it and sidestepping it.

 _'It isn't very smart, but can speak.'_ She quickly realizes backing away quickly towards Natsu who she knew has far more combat experience than her.

"He can speak, huh?" Natsu asks cracking his knuckles seemingly ready to take it on. "Hey where's Macao?! You understand what I'm saying, right? I'm asking about Macao. A human man!"

Lucy shakes her head an Natsu's obliviousness, why would the giant monkey even tell him that?

"You hid him, didn't you?"

And why would the monkey who they've clearly established to not be so smart even think about hiding Macao? It made no sense.

The Vulcan/giant monkey motions Natsu to come near him.

"Oh! He understood me!"

"I don't know Natsu, he doesn't seem-"

And the monkey punches Natsu.

"-trustworthy.." _'Well look at that, the monkey's smarter than I thought.'_

"Me no like man, me like woman! Me no like man!" The monkey yells loudly.

"Are you alright Natsu?" Lucy asks directing half her attention to Natsu who was caressing his bruised cheek.

"How dare you punch me….?" Natsu asks the Vulcan.

"Well, I'll take that as a yes." Lucy muttered to herself coming to terms with the stupidity of the situation she was in. "I'm not good at close combat, so I'll leave the pervert monkey up to you, okay?"

"Yeah, leave it up to me." Natsu says standing up and facing the Vulcan. "Listen up! All of Fairy Tail's members are nakama."

 _'What is he doing?'_ Lucy wonders placing her hand on her keys in case Natsu needs support.

"From gramps, Mira, then the annoying Gray and Elfman, to Happy and Lucy. We're all nakama."

 _'He finally called me Lucy…'_ Lucy thinks to herself, a smile blossoming on her face, and a warm feeling spreading over her. Just like when she was with Levi.

"That's why I'm taking Macao home!" Natsu yells punching the monkey in the guts.

 _'So this is what having a nakama feels like…'_ Lucy muses to herself as the monkey passes out from the sheer pain of Natsu's attack.

It was a one-hit K.O

"Oi, wake up and tell me where Macao is!" Natsu demands.

 _'So simple-minded.'_ Lucy thinks to herself.

Then somehow the monkey turns into a man.

"It's Macao!" Natsu yells in alarm running over to the older man.

"So Macao was taken over by the Vulcan?" Happy asks approaching the two.

Lucy tilts her head in confusion, "Taken over?"

"It's a magic to take over the body." Happy explains.

"I see…"

 _'It isn't much information, but it sounds interesting. If a Vulcan can take over a human…I wonder if a Celestial Spirit could do it too…'_

"He's injured! We have to get him back quick!" Natsu yelled earning Lucy's attention again.

"Natsu, wait!" Lucy yells seeing Natsu was about to lift up the injured Macao.

"What?!" Natsu snaps at her.

Lucy flinches slightly, but she understands that Natsu is just panicked right now, "The cold's making his state worse, and if you carry him you might open the injuries he has." Lucy tries to explain as calmly as she could.

"I can't just let him lie in the snow either!"

"I know," Lucy sighs grabbing one of her silver keys, "Listen I'm not saying we should leave him or anything like that if that's what you're thinking. I may be new to Fairy Tail, but I think of you all as a nakama too, so let me help out _our_ nakama too, alright?"

"How?" Natsu asks.

"Have you forgotten that I'm a mage too?" Lucy asks taking out one of her silver key.

"Open a gate to The Clock, I summon thee! Horologium!" the silver key shines brightly in a soft light before a tall brown grandfather clock with long, black arms, a glass case, a Roman-numerical clock at the center and a small face at the top with slit eyes and a thin, twirly, mustache-like mouth.

"This is Horologium, one of my friends. Just put Macao inside him and the cold problem is taken care of. We can treat his injuries once we've reached a warmer place. Is that alright?" Lucy asks raising an eyebrow at the awed Natsu and Happy.

"Aye, nice job Luigi!"

"It's LUCY!" Lucy yells at Natsu as the Salamander places Macao inside of Horologium.

"Yeah, yeah Luce."

"It's _Lucy_!"

"I like _Luce_ better."

"Ugh, whatever! It's better than Luigi at least." Lucy says with a resigned sigh.

"You liiiikeee each other~!" Happy croons to the two.

Lucy completely ignores what he said as they start walking back to civilization, and a warmer place. Which Lucy was glad for, as stubborn as she was when it comes to not falling behind she didn't want to freeze to death because of her pride.

 _'Right now I'm an amateur, and Natsu's a veteran, but one day I'll catch up. Next time I'll do the fighting instead of standing back.'_ She thinks to herself determinedly.

* * *

 _ **Chapter End**_

* * *

 _ **A/N :** Phew, that was a long chapter, eh? _

_The way I see it canon Lucy wants to become a great mage one day, so I just amplified it a bit here by making her actually more conscious about her goal. And the whole Lucy relates to Romeo and Natsu's daddy issues...well, I couldn't help myself. It just kinda felt right. I mean I know that Natsu could relate more to Romeo, but Lucy can also relate a bit because she knows how lonely it is waiting for her father to come back. Which is exactly why she wanted to help get Romeo's father back, because her "papa" never came back to her after her mom died._

 _And as for Lucy's thoughts on the Take-over magic, relax, she won't be getting a power-up so soon. She's just musing it over. Maybe later she may act upon it, but not right now._

 _Long rant aside, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. And any suggestions for this story would be appreciated~!_


	5. Chapter 5

Natsu grinned looking up at an apartment complex, "This is the place according to Mira." He noted.

Happy nodded in agreement, "Aye, let's go surprise Lucy!"

"Aye!" Natsu agreed sparing a small glance at a certain job flyer in his hands that required a blonde.

He didn't even need to ask where Lucy's room was, because he had Lucy's scent memorized already. Strawberry and vanilla, with a tint of floral scenting shampoo.

In an idle pace he and Happy made their way to Lucy's room, "Should we knock?" Happy asked.

"Nah, Mira gave us the key. We should use it."

"Aye, good idea Natsu."

Natsu smugly nodded fishing out the key from his vest, he didn't waste any time to shove it in the keyhole, and turned it.

He glanced at Happy before casually opening the door, a big grin on his face, "Pardon the intrusion!" he loudly yelled entering the place as if he owned it.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked in surprise from her spot on top of her bed.

It was then that Natsu noticed a strange white creature sitting on Lucy's lap and a giant cross with a white haired cross moustache sleeping in mid-air. _'Must be more of Luce's weird buds.'_ He concluded to himself.

"I'm here too!" Happy cheerfully informed.

"Oh, hey Happy, I didn't notice you." Lucy flatly said causing Happy to go sulk in a corner.

"Pun, pun, pun!"

Natsu looked at the white creature in Lucy's lap, "Oh hey Plue, nice to meet you too I guess. I'm Natsu, and that's Happy." He introduced.

"You can understand him?" Lucy asked in surprise earning Natsu's attention.

"Of course I can, can't you?" He didn't give Lucy a chance to answer as he added on, "And who came up with the name Plue anyways?" He asked giving Plue a look full of pity.

"I did!" Lucy yelled throwing a random book at him, it landed right near his left eye.

"Ouch, that hurt Luce!" Natsu groaned rubbing the forming bruise.

Then suddenly the cross creature yelled earning Lucy's attention.

"So what did you find grandpa Crux?" She asked much to Natsu and Happy's confusion.

"In Shirotsume Town, there is a Celestial Spirit that is not happy with their current owner. That's all I am allowed to disclose."

Lucy nodded at the information, "Thank you grandpa Crux, I'll see you around."

"Anytime Lucy-san." The cross smiled as he disappeared into a shining light.

"You're heading to Shirotsume Town?" Natsu curiously asked.

Lucy nodded patting Plue's head absently, "I'll look for an easy job there to kill time while I look for this spirit."

"We have the perfect job!" Natsu and Happy exclaimed in unison as Natsu presented Lucy with the flyer.

"Pun, pun, pun."

Natsu nodded in agreement to Plue, noting that the little guy cared about Lucy's wellbeing a lot, "Plue's right. We should form a team!" enough to request that they form a team and look after Lucy.

"Plue?" Lucy asked in confusion looking at the creature.

Plue nodded.

"I guess a team would make things easier…" She gave in before looking down to read the flyer.

Natsu could see Lucy's fingers and smile twitching when she was done reading the description. "Should have known…" he heard her mutter.

"You're not backing out?" Natsu asked in surprise.

"Celestial Spirit Mages like me have a code of honor if you will, a certain thing we value more than anything. _Promises_. We never go back on our words." Lucy explained.

"Never?" Natsu repeated.

"But what if it's something bad?" Happy questioned.

Lucy shrugged at them, "It's simply the way things are." Both could tell she wasn't telling them the full story.


End file.
